I am a huge Earl Grey fan, but I’m also a pretty picky Earl Grey fan. I went back and forth for a while on whether I would order the Earl Grey matcha; on one hand, how could I not? But on the other I am happy with regular Earl Greys, so why do I need a matcha one? In the end, obviously, the former one out, and I ordered the matcha with the classic (basic) grade, with robust flavoring, from here: http://www.redleaftea.com/matcha-tea/earl-grey-matcha.html

Upon opening the package, my first thought was holy moley, that’s strong. Like, cleaning solution strong. And it preparation it remains strong, and not in a good way. This bergamot is pungent and floral to the point of bitterness. This is bitterness not in the matcha, but from the sheer amount of bergamot in the cup. After a bit I added some sugar to try to dampen it a bit, and it did work a little, but as it cools it is coming back with a vengance.

I would not recommend ordering this one at the robust flavoring level, even if you loooove bergamot as I do. I will see how this does in a latte, and I will be definitely mixing it with a variety of other matchas to try to tame it. A biiiit to much for me.

Profile

Bio

I am tea obsessed, with the stash to match. I tend to really enjoy green oolongs, Chinese blacks, and flavored teas with high quality bases, especially florals, bergamot-based teas, and chocolate teas.

In my free time I am a birder, baker, and music/movie/tv addict.

Here are my rating categories, FYI:
100-90: Mind-blowingly good, just right for my palate, and teas that just take me to a happy place.
89-86: I really really like these teas and will keep most of them in the permanent collection, but they’re not quite as spectacular as the top category
85-80: Pretty tasty teas that I enjoy well enough, but definitely won’t rebuy when I run out.
79-70: Teas that I would probably drink again, but only if there were no preferrable options.
69-50: Teas that I don’t really enjoy all that much and wouldn’t drink another cup of.
49 and below: Mega yuck. This tea is just disgusting to me.
Unrated: Usually I feel unqualified to rate these teas because they are types of teas that I tend to not like in general. Sometimes user error or tea brewed under poor conditions.